Latest news with #AndyBurnham
Sky News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer warned over fears of 'toothless' Hillsborough Law replacement
Why you can trust Sky News More than 130 MPs have urged Sir Keir Starmer to deliver the Hillsborough Law as promised - amid claims it is being watered-down with a "toothless" replacement. Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, has written to the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, over concerns that officials have "carved out" key elements of the long-awaited legislation. The Hillsborough Law is intended to prevent future state cover-ups by putting a legal duty of candour on public servants to tell the truth, with criminal sanctions for lying. It also includes a commitment to funding so families receive proportional legal representation in battles with official bodies. The bill had its first reading in 2017 when it was introduced by Andy Burnham and supported by Steve Rotheram who were MPs at the time. In his letter, Mr Byrne said a draft government version of the law, shown to the now Great Manchester and Liverpool City Region mayors respectively and one of the campaign's lawyers in March, did not contain the key provisions. In particular, he said it did not contain a duty of candour, only an "aspirational objective". He said there was also "no reference at all" to the rebalancing of resources for legal representation for families at inquests and inquiries. As Sky News reported at the time, the government paused the process to listen to these concerns, meaning it missed its own deadline to implement the law by the most recent anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April. However campaigners have not been shown the latest draft and say meetings with ministers and officials have indicated the Hillsborough Law is still to be replaced with weaker legislation. 'Legally nothing left' In particular, there are concerns the obligation to be truthful would be applied only to some investigations and could even be reduced to a professional duty dealt with by codes or staff handbooks rather than a criminal backstop. A government spokesperson said they are "fully committed" to a legal duty of candour with criminal sanctions for those who don't comply. However Elkan Abrahamson, one of the lawyers who drafted the original Hillsborough Law, told Sky News: "It's easy to talk about commitment but until we see something in writing... we don't know what that means." He said that under the government's proposals there would "legally be nothing left" of the original bill, adding: "My message to them is rip up your draft, go back to ours and tell us what the problem is and we will sort it with you." The government declined to say what its concerns are with the Hillsborough Law when asked by Sky News. It has said it wants to bring the legislation in "at pace" but "having consulted with campaign groups, we know more time is needed to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law". 1:36 At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in 2022 when he was still in opposition, Sir Keir said that "one of his first" acts as prime minister if he won the election would be "to put the Hillsborough Law on the statute book". The Times has reported officials have concerns that the Hillsborough Law could punish junior civil servants who turn up late for work and lie about it. But in his letter, signed by 136 cross-party MPs and 29 peers, Mr Byrne said "that is manifestly not correct". He added: "We have no doubt that the attempts to replace the bill with wholly deficient and ineffective redrafts are led by those who are most likely to be affected by the Hillsborough Law: senior civil servants and public institutions who want to retain their impunity in protecting their reputations above telling the truth." 'Toothless replacement' He called on the prime minister to "show leadership and strength" in implementing the Hillsborough Law in full "and not some toothless replacement". "We urge you not to pass up this opportunity to achieve generational culture change, and a step change in the integrity of public life." The campaign for the Hillsborough Law follows a decades-long fight for justice for the 97 football fans who were unlawfully killed after gross negligence by police at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield in 1989. Shortly before kick-off, supporters were let through a gate, which caused crowding in the stand and a crush. Nobody has ever been convicted for its subsequent cover-up.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Manchester mill blaze triggers alarm over spate of historic buildings fires
Conservation chiefs have raised fears over a string of fires gutting historic British buildings after a blaze burned down Manchester's earliest surviving textile mill. The Hotspur Press, also known as the Medlock Mill, has been partly demolished to enable 'safe' internal firefighting after it was hit by a major fire on Monday. The historic site dated back to 1801 and was repurposed as a printing press in 1902. Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said the city's Fire Rescue Service would undertake a 'rigorous and forensic investigation'. He added that police and fire services will 'use all the powers at their disposal to pursue all necessary action' if there is evidence of criminality. Anya Lucas of the Georgian Group said the blaze was part of a worrying trend of historic sites going up in flames. 'We're noticing an escalation in the number of fires, it's ... a real concern. There's no national way of recording fire damage to historic buildings, but it's going on far too often,' she said. The Manchester site has been slated for redevelopment into a 35-storey student accommodation tower by London-based developer Manner, which filed revised plans for the building in May after taking on the project in 2020. Its plans involved installing aluminium cladding above its historic brickwork. At the same time, it was a contested heritage site, with campaigners calling for the building to gain protected status. Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, rejected a bid to make part of it listed in January. The Georgian Group appealed the decision in the following month, and had been waiting for an update before the fire struck earlier this week. The fire has stoked concerns from conservation specialists that historic buildings are being gutted, whether through arson by the owners, third parties or by accident, at significant cost to Britain's heritage and place-making efforts. Prominent examples include the Crooked House pub in Staffordshire, which was unexpectedly demolished days after it burned down in a suspected arson attack. There was also a suspicious fire at a derelict part of West Yorkshire's Dalton Mills in December last year, months after two teenagers were found guilty of starting an inferno that destroyed much of the historic complex in 2022. There are no allegations that the fire at Hotspur Press was caused by wrongdoing and the blaze is under investigation. Ms Lucas said: 'There's a separate point about what can be done in terms of more active protection, monitoring and recording how often this is happening and then potentially linking it to the development context, because more often than not there is one. It's not always arson, but there often is a link to what's going on in terms of live planning applications. She said it was an issue that the Government needs to engage more on, adding it is an issue that her group is 'keen to work on' with fellow preservation societies'. 'When these [buildings] are lost, you're losing the warp and weft of towns and cities up and down the country. That's an insidious process that cumulatively has a real impact on our heritage nationally,' she added. Thomas Ollivier, the Northern conservation adviser at the Victorian Society, said heritage buildings are 'seen as easy targets'. 'There is an onus on the owner of a building - whether it's the developer, council or private owner- to look after them,' he said. A spokesperson for Historic England noted there have been 'several serious mill fires' in the past decade including at Drummond Mill, Bradford in 2016, and Newsome Mill, Huddersfield in 2016. He added: 'Fires like these can have a devastating effect on local communities who cherish their local heritage.' Nicholas Boys Smith of Create Streets, a think tank, said northern textile mills were as 'precious to our story as Blenheim or Chatsworth'. 'Yet we are letting too many of them slip through our fingers, through decay, indolence or conflagration,' he said. Manner was contacted for comment. A spokesperson previously issued a statement to media outlets that called the fire 'truly heartbreaking'. 'We are absolutely devastated to see the extent of the damage that has been caused, and it is incredibly hard to come to terms with what is now left of this important building,' he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
50,000 in Greater Manchester have no buses - now it'll take years to fix
More than 50,000 people in Greater Manchester have no access to daytime bus or tram service — but it's set to take years to fix. Every bus in Greater Manchester was taken into the Bee Network on January 5, a major step in Andy Burnham's mission to create an integrated 'London-style' public transport system. But daytime Bee Network buses, Metrolink trams, and 'demand-responsive transport' such as ring and ride buses fail to stop within 400-metres of 51,309 people in the city, a new report has revealed. READ MORE: LIVE: Manchester services hit after train derails causing UK travel chaos - latest updates READ MORE: Police descend on Salford street with forensic tent on scene That means the Bee Network's 'minimum baseline connectivity level' is not met in 148 places. Another 388,525 people — more than the population of Wigan — have no access to a bus service that runs at least every half-hour, the report added. One proposed benefit of taking buses into public control was the ability to change services based on residents' needs, which the mayor promised would take place with regular 'network reviews'. However, the same report revealed it will take up to three years to implement the changes recommended by network reviews, with Trafford and parts of Manchester only seeing alterations in summer 2028. The first boroughs to get Bee Network buses, Wigan and Bolton in September 2023, will be first to see modifications, in autumn 2026. Alison Chew, the Bee Network's deputy director of bus, said it will take time because bosses 'looked back at connectivity assessment to get a baseline picture of Greater Manchester'. Although a huge proportion of buses have only been in public control for several months, some councillors were incensed by how long it will take to carry out the network review. Phil Burke said: 'We have been led up the garden path. It was supposed to happen after tranche one, and after tranche two, and there was supposed to be something at the end of last year. 'We have clearly been led astray by the bus team. The bus services we have in Rochdale are really bad. We need to address them.' However, 'early intervention' is being considered to improve services in two areas where buses do not arrive every hour, namely Horrocks Fold in Bolton and West Trafford. The other areas to get bus improvements sooner include Rusholme, Whalley Range, and Blackley New Road in Manchester; Ordsall Lane in Salford; and Alexandra Park in Oldham. Despite the need for improvements in some areas, the report said buses were getting more popular, with a 14pc increase in bus usage in the first areas to get the Bee Network. Three-quarters of Bee Network services were on-time in March 2025, compared to roughly two-thirds when they were run privately.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'All landlords' in Greater Manchester issued warning amid Andy Burnham crackdown
All landlords in Greater Manchester will be expected to signed for a new 'UK-first' initiative set up by Andy Burnham. The Greater Manchester mayor has hailed a 'new era for renting' as his Good Landlord Charter finally gets going. More than 100 landlords have signed up for the scheme so far, including most social housing providers, covering more than 234,000 homes. As supporters of the scheme, they have all committed to a list of 21 criteria which sets out the standards expected of landlords. READ MORE: Teenager disappears after boarding flight at Manchester Airport READ MORE: LIVE updates as John Belfield cross-examined in Thomas Campbell murder trial These include a commitment to affordability, with clear and fair rent review and rent setting processes, as well as being responsive. Those who are judged to be meeting all these standards will be accredited as members - all of which is done at no cost to landlords. These member landlords will then be listed publicly on the charter's website allowing renters to check if they have been accredited. It comes as local authorities continue their crackdown on poor housing with nearly £1.47m collected in fines over the last two years. Mr Burnham hopes this will drive up standards with a 'twin-track' approach that recognises good landlords and punishes bad ones. Speaking at a housing conference in Manchester on Thursday (June 26), Salford mayor Paul Dennett, who leads the housing portfolio in the city-region, said he wants 'all private landlords' to sign up to the charter, but recognises that some will be reluctant to do so. He said: "It's about sorting the wheat from the chaff and then using our resources to tackle, through enforcement, the really poor standards. "That's where we want to go with this. It's a strategic approach ultimately to housing enforcement which we've never had before because of austerity." So far, more than half of all homes across the city-region are covered by the charter thanks to their landlords signing up, including 95 per cent of social housing with all landlords who are members of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers group having joined. Mr Dennett said that he expects all social housing landlords operating in Greater Manchester to meet the standards in the Charter. However, he recognised that some social housing providers are not currently meeting these standards, citing the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died in 2020 due to damp in his home in Rochdale as a recent example where standards were not met. It follows an announcement by the government this week about the first measures that will come into force under Awaab's Law. The legislation, which the Manchester Evening News campaigned for, puts strict deadlines on landlords to respond to hazards. Mr Dennett said that the Good Landlord Charter gets Greater Manchester ready for new legislation, including the Renters' Rights Bill. He also spoke of an amendment to that bill which would allow council officers to conduct property checks on properties faster. It comes after Mr Burnham announced that renters would have the right to request a 'property check' as part of his new charter. Mr Dennett said that council officers can already check properties, but need to give notice for entering properties and can't deal with issues retrospectively, which is why he hopes that the amendment which allow for property checks to happen quicker will go through. He said the right to request a property check will go ahead regardless, although no target date for its introduction has been set yet.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Anas Sarwar refuses to back Labour welfare rebels as he offers support to Keir Starmer
His comments are in contrast to the criticisms of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham Anas Sarwar has refused to back the twelve Scottish Labour MPs who are opposed to the UK Government's welfare cuts. The Scottish Labour leader said 'conversations' are ongoing but insisted the 'principle' of social security reform had to be supported. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure over a welfare bill that would cut around £5bn from disability and sickness benefits. But the bill could be killed after over 100 Labour MPs, including twelve from Scotland, backed an amendment that would torpedo the whole package. Central to the plan is tightening the eligibility for Personal Independence Payment, which is devolved to Holyrood. But other benefit cuts are UK-wide and the changes are predicted to plunge 50,0000 children into poverty. In a Holyrood Sources podcast, Sarwar said of the bill: 'I support the principle of reform.' 'We do have to look at the structural challenges that exist in our welfare system.' He also said there are 'many positives' in the bill, such as £1bn for back to work scheme. Asked if he agreed with the rebels, he said: 'Conversations are ongoing, as you would expect. People are legitimately raising their concerns, having those conversations.' He added: 'We have to support the principle of reform. What those reforms look like have to be balanced and have to be fair.' His comments are in contrast to London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who have criticised the bill. The Scottish Labour MP sceptics are Richard Baker, Scott Arthur, Euan Stainbank, Brian Leishman, Lilian Jones, Tracy Gilbert and Elaine Stewart. Kirsteen Sullivan, Patricia Ferguson, Martin Rhodes, Maureen Burke and Irene Campbell are also opposed. A key element of the package is freezing the rate of the health element of Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance payments until 2030. In a briefing to parliamentarians, Trussell estimated that there are nearly 300,000 people receiving these payments in Scotland: "All would stand to be affected by the freeze which by 2029/30 amounts to [a] real terms cut of £500 per year.'
